Sulaimani launches 5th book expo

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Officials and book lovers in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province on Thursday morning launched the fifth book international fair in the city with the participation of hundreds of readers across the region.

At least 200 publishing houses are taking part in the 10-day book fair, which is expected to be attended by thousands of participants across Iraq's Kurdish region. 

The books, some of which are showcased by publishing houses from 20 different countries, come from a variety of genres, including philosophy, literature, politics, history, and science.

One of the significances of such a book fair is that "it facilitates access to books that are not usually available in the Kurdistan Region market", Hiwa Qadir, a renowned literary writer, told Kurdistan 24 on early Thursday.

“The fairs will help us to connect with the active international communities and familiarize ourselves with global literature,” Qadir, whose 28 books will be presented at the expo, added.

The Kurdish author expressed his concern about the “imbalance” in the participation of publishing houses, saying the majority of those publishers have an “Islamic background”.

Shawqi Omer, the deputy director of the International Book Fair in Sulaimani, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday, per the instructions, books and publications that “promote extremism or disrespect any nation or symbols,” will not be showcased. 

Senior Kurdistan Region officials similarly attended the inauguration of the event.

Book signing and poetry reading will be held over the coming days as well.